Performance-enhancing drugs crap all over the sport of pigeon racing

It’s been a familiar refrain in the world of human sports, the heroic athlete who devastates the fanbase when news of their use of banned substances becomes big news. As though pigeons didn’t get enough grief in cities around the world, now their one chance to shine and pull in the big bucks has been tarnished, too.

According to multiplenews reports, five birds tested positive for a human painkiller that combats inflammation, and another tested positive for cocaine. Top officials at an association of pigeon fanciers in the country said they were shocked at the news.

Others in the sport said that they were not surprised that pigeons had been caught doping because pigeon racing has gained in popularity in recent years, becoming a big-money, even a glamorous, endeavor. Last May, a pigeon named Usain Bolt — for the Olympic sprinting champion from Jamaica — was sold to a Chinese businessman for about $430,000.